Shaving Sharp...I finally get it! :)

I finally possess the “secret” to getting my blades shaving sharp! :slight_smile:

There’s no real secret in fact but the devil is in the details as they say. I’ve found that if you go through the process (whatever your process is) and it’s paper cutting sharp but doesn’t quite cut hair easily then you have to go back to the fine stone stage. If that’s not enough go back to the coarse stone stage.

Then go back the stroping stages (in my case medium and then fine). In case everyone isn’t doing it this way I’ll mention the (not quite) obvious. When using the stones move the face of the blade into the stone. When using the strop move the face of the blade away from the strop.

I generally made 10 passes on each side for both the coarse and then fine stones and the same for the medium and then fine strop but 5 passes would probably do the trick.

No more than light pressure is required for any of this as well.

Initially, when I got the blade so that it would just barely cut hair I tried to get it sharper with the strops but when I decided to go back to the fine stone stage and then the strops this is when the blade really became shaving sharp.

Now all 12 of my folders are shaving sharp.

This isn’t rocket science but until today I wasn’t able to get my knives quite as sharp as I wanted them to be and I read here and elsewhere that many people were having that same problem. So I thought I’d post exactly what I did.

It actually could be done with just a single inexpensive two-side stone and a spare leather belt and probably without even having to use compound on it.

That theory and solution can be applied to many hurdles life will throw at you…

Woah……That was deep. For me at least…

Dunno if this is even on topic, but here’s a little tip to keep disposable razors sharp.

I’ve seen numerous articles about this and tried it and it seems to work. (Albeit I keep a trimmed beard and only shave my neck)

Makes sense. I shave with an electric razor and then use a razor after that so mine last quite a while anyway but I’ll definitely give that a try.

heartfelt congratulations.

never got to the stage, and I’d love to get my knives to shave.

Yep, getting knives sharp with a stone isnt exactly easy but not rocket science either. Just takes some practice. I started by sharpening the cheap kitchen knives for about 10 bucks each and sharpened the most expensive one (around 120 bucks) today. I had to make a new edge before getting it really sharp, but now its a smooth razor.. in fact, its sharper than any knife I have sharpened. I guess its good quality steel..

I do it just like bryan described. The last strokes on the fine stone only in the same direction and after that to the leather peace with some grey paste on it until the recently sharpened areas look nice and shiny.

Oh, I pull the knife through a piece of hard wood (cutting boards are usually hard wood) before going to the leather. Then I pull it through the hard wood again, and then I go back to the leather again until I am satisfied.

You might notice that the knife wont cut into the wood as far after the leather treatment as it did before, but its meant to be like that. ;)

Yeah , Ive gone to the diamond hones , and when Im done with the diamond hone I move onto a steel rod , to remove the very slight bur , when Im done it shaves …
After this , a bit of work with the steel maintains the edge …

I can maybe go 3 to 6 months with the steel rod [ maintain edge ] , and then re do the edge with the diamond hones … and so the cycle continues …

I use diamond stones and then finish with a ceramic steel.

I myself usually just use a sock to remove the any kind of burr inbetween stages, sometimes a few times during a stage if it’s the coarse stage. This works out well because I usually sharpen in my room. And where I sharpen is about 4 feet from my hamper.

I’m guessing that when people say they can’t get it that sharp that they are not going long enough with the coarse stage?

I think if you keep going in the first stage until you get a burr along the edge and if you keep getting finer with the proceeding stages you’re bound to get a razor sharp edge.

I dont think its necessary to always have the burr.. maybe the first time you sharpen a knife when giving it a new edge.

A lot of people have a problem keeping the same angle during the sharpening process. That will lead to big time screw-up.

What a riot, just last night we watched “The Butter Shave” (Kramer discovers shaving with butter)
I think Seinfeld was the best comedic show of all time.

BTW, for my light beard, I have always used Noxema Skin Cream to shave.

I was beginning to suspect that my problem has been patience, and this thread reinforces that. More strokes,folks, is what I’ve needed (the right kind, that is).

Tried this with mach3 and it didn’t work I think :slight_smile:

OK, welcome members of the shaving sharp knives club.

Post a picture of your partially shaved calves and / or forearms. :wink:

this is IMHO my biggest problem. ah how I wish I could get my knives to shave…

I would, but I have almost no hair on my forearms anyway.. I just see them on the knife. :D

@Hokum: There are tools for that. Little chocks of metal or wood work well, but its best to train a lot until you can do it by hand/with your fingers to keep the distance. I sharpened 8 cheap knives from almost numb to razor-sharp before I started with the expensive ones. I got faster from knife to knife and had to remove less and less material.

Oh, and sharpening knives is really satisfying. People always give me that weird look until they feel the knife and cut something.. or shave. :D

I would say if you have never been able to shave with the edge more than likely you need to work with the coarse stone some more.

If you have previously been able to shave and now can’t you can probably just strop it back into shape or at most go to the fine stone.

I know that’s how it worked for me. As far as keeping the same angle I just lock off my wrist and quickly use the same motion. Your body remembers this motion fairly easily.

I would say it’s like anything else. It seems hard until the first time you are able to do it. After that it’s easy.

Here’s a fun YouTube video.

If you’re lazy (like me), just get the accusharp 1 pass system. The cheap imitation also work ok, but not as good as the original.